


The Greatness Equation

by Parapluiebleu



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Arthur Weasley is a good man, Character Study, Child Abuse, Father-Son Relationship, Harry-centric, POV Third Person, Sort Of, more like, only a bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24192442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parapluiebleu/pseuds/Parapluiebleu
Summary: There's a house in Surrey, where things are happening that no one and everyone knows about.There's a castle in Scotland, where, for some reason, Harry cannot spend a peaceful, normal, year.And in the middle, Arthur Weasley finds himself saying: "Harry, do wash your hands before dinner."
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	The Greatness Equation

That summer, it felt as if the world was holding its' breath.

One of _them_ , a tall man with a tired-looking sweater and ginger hair, had accompanied Harry on the platform. It was a good thing Vernon wasn't there.

The man had been polite enough, introducing himself and shaking her hand. Petunia felt as if she had seen him before, but couldn't be sure. His hand on her nephew's shoulder, comforting and natural, made her feel nervous, and she only half listened to him. There was some sort of warning, then he held the boy by the shoulders and they exchanged a few words, and then she was able to drive home and put all unpleasant feelings and concerns away for the summer.

That summer, it felt as if the world was holding its' breath.

Harry was even more quiet than usual.  
He had taken to reading, upon discovering a cardboard box full of classics (that Vernon was keeping for an old friend) in the cupboard under the stairs. She caught him there a few times, pretending to put away cleaning supplies, squinting in the dim light, not daring to open the book completely. Eventually, the whole manoeuvre became ridiculous and she told him to just make sure Vernon didn't catch him.

In the three weeks that followed, he must have read through half the box.

~~

It happened a bit later in the summer.

He had just repainted the back balcony, which had truly needed it. Vernon had wanted it done sooner, but the paint needed three days to dry, and it had not worked out with the weather until then. She was wiping the kitchen counter when she heard him come in and call hesitantly to her.

In one hand, he still held the hammer he was using to fix the shed shelves. The other he kept near his chest, a long and deep cut across his palm.

"I know it's not too bad, aunt Petunia, but it was a very rusty nail and I don't have any disinfectant in my things..." She glanced at the time and commanded him to wait.

Returning with a bottle of peroxide and some gauze, she found him lost in thoughts and gazing at the slowly setting sun. He had a sunburn on the back of his neck, from the long hours of painting in the sun, and was wearing pants that she knew neither her nor Vernon had bought him. The sound of the bottle on the counter startled him, and he faced her quickly, meeting her eyes.

She did not know this boy. And he wasn't even a boy anymore.

The realization struck her hard. They lived in the same house, and with Dudley out with his friends and Vernon at work, she probably spent more time with him than with anyone else. And yet, she knew nothing about him.

There was something in his eyes. _Lily_ would probably say that he looked like a tragic hero, or something as absurd. What did Petunia see? She couldn't tell. He looked so different, especially with his hair this short. A lot older, that's for sure.

Shaking herself out of it, she motioned for him to bring his hand under the light. He hesitated, obviously having expected her to simply give him the supplies, before complying with a shrug. Something on his forearm caught her attention and she swiftly took his wrist to pull his arm further. There was a scar there, fresh, way bigger than the bleeding cut on his hand. It looked clean, as if it had been made by a knife.  
He made an aborted movement, as if he wanted to snatch his hand away, and she glanced up.  
" - What did you do?  
\- _I_ didn't do that "  
She thought back for a moment.  
" - During that contest they harassed us about? ". He nodded and looked away. She didn't know, she didn't _want_ to know, what went on at that school, but a knife wound this big... that must have hurt, and she said so aloud.

Instantly, she realized the enormity of her mistake. The boy threw her a look so fiercely challenging that she almost flinched back.

He was right, of course. She couldn't get offended for him, not when through the too-big collar of his shirt - Dudley's shirt, poked yellowing bruises from where her husband had grabbed him only two days ago, for dropping a teacup. Not when there was still a red tint on his left cheek from one of her _own_ slaps. Not when...

She stopped herself. He looked as if his dearest wish was to flee her company, and she chose to indulge him. Watching him flee to his room with the bottle and the gauze, she felt as if she should be wondering about something, but found her mind strangely blank.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Next chapter is the arrival at Grimmauld's place. I don't want to dwell on the Dursley's more than this (what I truly want to explore is Harry and Arthur Weasley's relationship), but it felt nice to end the chapter there.
> 
> I'm not a native English speaker so feel free to point anything out! Hope you enjoy the rest :)


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